Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Yamaha has trademarked a new logo for its upcoming middle-weight sports motorcycle — YZF-R9. Yamaha is likely readying the motorcycle for a launch soon, as the motorcycle manufacturer had previously trademarked the R9 name in multiple countries, including India.
If speculations are to go by, Yamaha already has the base for the YZF-R9 in the form of the MT-09 street bike. The upcoming fully-faired Yamaha YZF-R9 could use the same engine that powers MT-09, the 890cc, three-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that makes 117 bhp and 93 Nm of torque with the help of a 6-speed manual gearbox.
The engine will most likely be carried forward with the same state of tune as how Yamaha has it with the YZF-R7 and the MT-07. Yamaha could also offer a special edition of the R9 with better mechanicals such as adjustable suspension and brakes. The R9 will also sport the entire suite of IMU-based electronic nannies from the MT-09.
In terms of design, expect the R9 to look similar to the R7, but with slight modifications to the panels. Yamaha’s entire lineup of the YZF-R series (R1, R7, R3, and R15) have a similar design language so Yamaha won’t stray too far from it.
So this begs the question — will it come to India? The answer to that is no. Not soon. Yamaha does not sell any of its middle-weight motorcycles in India, so the launch of the upcoming Yamaha YZF-R9 here is ruled out. However, for the global markets, the new R9 will sit between the R7 and the flagship R1 in Yamaha’s lineup.
